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BMW 735iYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 29 owner complaints and 3 safety recalls on record for the BMW 735i.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints29Top: Engine and engine coolingSafety recalls31987–1995 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

BMW 735i years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 735i median. Tap a year for its full report.

'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
1995Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall1994Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1993Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1992Not rated–/1006 complaints · 3 recalls1991Not rated–/1002 complaints · 3 recalls1990Not rated–/1004 complaints · 2 recalls1989Not rated–/1003 complaints · 1 recall1988Not rated–/10011 complaints · 1 recall1987Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common BMW 735i problems

All model years combined: 29 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling160
Electrical system41
Exterior lighting40
Visibility20
Seats20
Steering21
Vehicle speed control22
Fuel system, gasoline10
Suspension10
3 other systems30
3 recalls

BMW 735i recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Engine and engine cooling: cooling system98V-178 · 1988–1995 · Aug 4, 1998 · 340,000 vehicles–Air bags: frontal96V-110 · 1991–1992 · Jul 1, 1996 · 75,000 vehicles–Brake lights: switch96V-111 · 1990–1992 · Jul 1, 1996 · 180,000 vehicles
2 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the 735i

  1. Vehicle RollawayEA12002 · 2002–2003 · closed Jan 24, 2013
    Led to recall 12V-502
  2. Vehicle RollawayPE11025 · 2002–2003 · closed Apr 23, 2012
    No recall